There was a quiet authority in the way Fione Collins addressed the room — less a ceremonial overview, more a reflection shaped by lived experience at the frontlines of care. As the 2025-2026 LASCO/Nurses Association of Jamaica (NAJ) Nurse of the Year, Collins used the International Nurses Day press briefing, held on Tuesday at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel, not just to look back, but to challenge how Jamaica — and the wider world — understands and supports its nurses.

Framing her address around purpose and service, Collins described nursing as far more than a profession.

“We are more than just caregivers,” she affirmed. “We are the heartbeat of healthcare, nation builders and daily lifesavers.”